Buemi at the Zurich E-Prix: "Dream come true".
WELCOME FORMULA E The race track is set up, teams and drivers are preparing for the first major Swiss circuit race in 64 years. This is a dream come true for Sébastien Buemi. Two Swiss TV stations are reporting live on the Zurich E-Prix. The Formula E entourage has arrived in Zurich and the construction work on the race track is almost complete. From [...]
The Formula E entourage has arrived in Zurich and the construction work on the race track is almost complete. From Friday evening, the last gaps will be closed and the so-called shakedown will take place on Saturday at 4 pm. The 2.46 km long track with eleven bends (Turns 1 to 11) will then be raced on for the first time.
The first Zurich E-Prix, the first international circuit race on Swiss soil since August 22, 1954, when the last Swiss Grand Prix was held in the Bremgarten Forest just outside Bern, is now a reality.
"Never dreamed of it"
When Sébastien Buemi, the 2015/16 season champion, takes to the track for the first time in his Renault Z.E. 17, it will be a very special moment for him too.
Sébastien Buemi: "I raced karts in Switzerland as a boy, for example on the Wohlen kart track. But I would never have dreamed that one day I would be competing in a circuit race in Switzerland in a racing car. That is a very special feeling."
He has cycled the route along the lakeside promenade at Enge harbour and through the banking district. As soon as it is completely closed, he does the same on foot.
His first impression promises an exciting first Swiss Formula E race.
Sébastien Buemi: "The track has it all: Wide and narrow sections, two long straights with a chicane in between, lots of corners and a hairpin bend (Turn 10, ed.), in front of which there will be braking maneuvers. I suspect it will be a varied race."
The date for 2019 is known
It will start on Sunday at 18:04 over a distance of 39 laps. Zurich is the 19th venue for Formula E. Previously, races were held in Santiago de Chile and Rome in the current fourth season. The Zurich E-Prix is the last race in Europe before the finale in mid-July with two races in New York.
In the run-up to the Swiss premiere, the FIA has announced the calendar for the fifth season with the GEN2 cars. It begins on December 15 in Ad Diriyah in Saudi Arabia. Zurich will be the eleventh and penultimate stop before the US finale on June 9, 2019.
Marc Surer: "Formula E is a desirable addition"
The significance of this event is not only reflected in the worldwide media interest, but also in our own country. There is hardly a newspaper that has not reported on it in the run-up to the event, regardless of the undertone. It is understandable that there are also negative voices.
Even Marc Surer, who knows all (loud) sides of motor racing, has been infected by Formula E fever. In his column "Surer's pit stop" in the Basler Zeitung, he expresses his positive opinion.
Marc Surer: "Formula E doesn't appeal to traditional racing fans, but to a new, younger generation. It's now a trend because people have realized that high-quality sport can also be played with electronically powered cars. Formula E is also a reservoir for many talented drivers who are not quite making it in the premier class. We must therefore really see Formula E as a desirable addition."
The former GP driver and current TV pundit will co-commentate Sunday's qualifying and race live for Swiss television (SFR zwei).
Neel Jani, Simona de Silvestro and Fabio Leimer in action for MySports
MySports will be on hand with a large contingent. The Swiss-only sports channel broadcasts live from the race track from 8.15 am. Professional racing drivers Simona De Silvestro, Neel Jani and Fabio Leimer will be on hand as experts.
At a second location, program director Steffi Buchli talks to guests from politics, business and sport. One presenter comments on the race and one is on the road as a racing reporter. The program is rounded off with magazines about Formula E and the Zurich location.
So if you're not making the pilgrimage to Zurich yourself, you can get plenty of information at home. Unless, of course, you still don't like Formula E...
